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Jump! Boys

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Introduction

Seven little boys, aged 6-8, from different families and with unique temperaments, rock and roll on the same ground in a gymnasium after school. The director’s older brother is a gymnast and gymnastics coach at an elementary school in Yilan, training the seven kids to be “Jump Boys.&rdqu...(Read more)

Seven little boys, aged 6-8, from different families and with unique temperaments, rock and roll on the same ground in a gymnasium after school. The director’s older brother is a gymnast and gymnastics coach at an elementary school in Yilan, training the seven kids to be “Jump Boys.” The camera follows these kids through their hard training and finally to a competition. This documentary might be the most “dynamic” Taiwan movie in two decades. Not only because gymnastics itself consists of a series of spectacular movements, but also because the director’s camera placement, quick cuts, and insertion of animated clips also help create a fast tempo.

Compared to traditional Taiwanese documentaries, which tend to be socially or culturally critical or even depressing, this film appears even more lovely and lively. As to gymnastic film as a genre, Jump! Boys belongs neither to the American philosophy of heroism/individualism nor to the nationalist/collectivist school of thought. Instead, it cares for the “community” of the kids. It shows how male bonding or masculinity forms through little boys’ jokes, quarrels, collaboration and competition. It also touches upon parents’ expectations of children, in particular boys. In 2011, director Lin made the feature film Jump Ashin!, based on his brother’s genuinely bitter coming-of-age story. Lin has already announced his intention to complete his “Jump Trilogy” by making another documentary, Jump! Men, when the boys reach their forties.